River Monsters (2009–2017): Season 4, Episode 9 - Lair of Giants - full transcript

My name is Jeremy Wade.

I'm an explorer...

Come on!

A biologist,
and fishing detective.

Fish on!

Aah-ah! Hey!

I've made a career
out of investigating cases

of freshwater monsters accused
of the most heinous of crimes.

All they got in was bones.

My calling in life

has taken me to all four
corners of the world,



and I thought I'd seen it all.

What a freshwater monster
this thing is.

But...

I was wrong.

I'm about to embark
on the adventure of a lifetime.

And it's only now,
after 25 years of experience,

that I'm ready to take on a
mission of this size and scale.

This is not the hunt
for a single monster,

but a journey to an entire
river system full of monsters.

Monsters do exist in this place.

It's now more than 25 years
that I've been hunting monsters,

but what I've stumbled across
here is something special,

something bigger...
Not a single species,

but an entire river system
full of monsters.



I've come to the other side
of the world

to fulfill an ambition
of a lifetime...

To explore this lost river,

to see for myself just what
monsters might live here,

real or imagined, old or new.

The river's name
is the Essequibo.

It flows through the country
of Guyana

in the northern part
of South America.

It's the secret corridor

into one of the largest,
most unexplored swathes

of rainforest
anywhere in the world...

the perfect hideout for giants.

But in this place,

finding monsters by myself
would be impossible.

To unlock the secrets of what
lives in the remote interior,

I'm going to spend time with
the tribes who live out there.

To reach this forbidding
dark heart,

the only vein that I can
follow is the Essequibo.

So my plan is to travel
up this river

on an expedition
deep into this unknown land

to discover how many monsters

this lost world
really is hiding.

For me, this is a journey
into the unknown,

a journey up the monster river.

But I need to find someone
to take me,

and my best chance of doing that

is at Bartica,
nearly 50 miles upriver.

Bartica is a revolving door
between the modern world

and one of the greatest
wildernesses on earth.

Its population is an exotic mix

of African, Indian,
and European blood.

But Guyana is also home to nine
indigenous Amerindian tribes.

It's my last chance
to gather provisions.

People in fish markets
speak my language.

I'm getting an idea
of what fish are here.

What's this fish called?

This is the time
for basha, yeah.

A strange-looking fish, this.

I've not seen anything
like that before.

This one grow very big
or always small?

Yeah, okay.

There's everything here.

Although there are no monsters
in the market,

I am told about a giant catfish
that lives in the Essequibo,

known locally as the lau-lau.

It's not a name
I'm familiar with,

but this man is talking
about something huge.

Can you tell me what is
the biggest lau-lau

that you've seen
coming out of this river?

180?

I've learned that monster fish,
like outlaws,

can have many aliases.

This is quite a monstrous beast.

So is the mysterious lau-lau
a new river monster

or one I've encountered before
under a different name?

Okay. Bye-bye.

- See you again.
- Okay.

I have my first target.

I've bought some bait.

Now I need to find a way
into this lost world.

Looking for a boat, I wander
towards the edge of town

and stumble across something
I wasn't expecting.

Well, I've certainly
found some monsters.

But these are modern monsters.

Gold dredges.

The river is dotted
with a whole fleet of them.

They're immensely destructive,

sucking up the riverbed
using huge vacuums

and sifting the gold deposits
from the sediment.

I know from experience
that nature's giants

are the first to disappear
in the face of human progress.

Wherever there are gold dredges,

it's unlikely
I will find any monsters.

The impact of all this activity
in this part of the river

just makes me realize

that I've got to go beyond

where these mechanical monsters
can reach.

This is now a race against
time, against human progress.

I've waited a lifetime to look
for monsters in this lost land.

But am I too late?

A local guide, Big Bell, sets
me up with a boat for tomorrow

and reassures me that there
are still monsters out there.

Have you seen anybody
catch lau-lau here now?

The same size as you?

Mm.

Challenge accepted.

In the morning, I leave Bartica
in the company of Brian,

a Wapishana Indian.

We're heading for an Amerindian
village called Yupukari,

another 250 miles
into this watery wilderness.

There, Brian tells me,
there are monsters.

As we travel, it becomes clear
why this river is so unknown.

In this labyrinth
of channels, tributaries,

lakes, and dead ends,
it would be easy to get lost.

And without Brian
and his local knowledge,

in this vast wilderness,
I could disappear forever.

Our plan is to set up
a basic camp on the riverbank

each night to sleep.

Back from the water
are telltale signs

of what this river
is capable of.

Where I'm walking has all the
appearance of normal dry land,

but all around me
there are signs

that, in the wet season,
this is all underwater.

It'd be over my head.

So this really is
an in-between world.

This land is underwater
for months every year,

a perfect place
for monsters to hide.

And these frequent stops
allow me to test my theory

that the further we travel
from the coast and from people,

the more monsters
there should be.

Perhaps the lau-lau I've
heard about is hiding here.

Just started to get dark,
and it has that feeling...

I don't know.

It has that feeling that there
could be something

moving around under the surface.

For me, the adventure
truly begins

when my bait first hits
the surface of a river

that I've never fished before.

As always, I fish using heavy
tackle... sea-fishing rigs.

If I'm to hook
a monster lau-lau,

I don't want to be outgunned.

My night-vision camera

reveals that I'm not alone
out here in the pitch dark.

Giant cockroaches
roam the bottom of my boat.

But are there any monsters
out there?

I'm about to find out.

Ugh!

I'm fulfilling the ambition
of a lifetime...

Hunting for a whole cast
of monsters in a lost world,

a world that
I can only penetrate

by traveling along
a barely explored river

called the Essequibo
in South America,

which snakes through
one of the largest tracts

of unspoiled rainforest
anywhere in the world.

But to find my monsters, I must
fish at every opportunity.

Wade: It has that feeling
that there could be something

moving around under the surface.

I've been given the name
of a mysterious giant catfish

by a man in the fish market.

He called it the lau-lau.

And I'm here to find one.

Ugh!

Have I hooked
my first Essequibo monster?

It's got to
tire itself out a bit.

That is... I don't know
what I've got here, but it's...

That's a different type
of catfish,

a very, very whiskery one.

My guide, Brian, recognizes it.

What's it called, Brian?

That's the same name
as in Brazil... barbado.

I've caught these fish before,
but never as big as this.

Barbado, which literally
means "bearded,"

and very, very impressive set
of whiskers on this.

They're not round
in cross-section.

They're almost like a...
An aircraft wing or something.

They're flat.

Elsewhere, a good barbado
weighs just a couple of pounds,

but this guy
must be close to 10.

It's my first indication

that this place could be
extraordinary.

The one I want would have this
for breakfast.

This one's gonna go back.

It's my first fish
from the Essequibo.

Could it mean that I have moved
beyond the influence

of gold dredges
and human progress?

If that's true, then my monster
hunt can begin in earnest.

So we push on, ever deeper.

Brian and I fall
into an easy routine

of traveling, fishing,
and camping.

This is just perfectly
untouched.

But if the fish aren't biting,

there are plenty of things
that are.

Apart from mosquitoes
that might carry malaria,

there are a million
other things to be wary of,

sometimes in the most
unexpected places.

It's actually on my hammock.

Wants to get inside and join me.

Uh...

I could possibly spend
the entire week in my hammock.

Very, very itchy hairs,
these things have.

Since I'm in South America,
I fish using a wire trace

because of one thing...
Piranhas.

These voracious predators

snip through normal
fishing line in an instant.

They are always a problem,

no matter where I am
in South America,

often stripping the bait
from my hook in moments,

long before the monster
I'm hunting gets a chance.

So much for piranhas
not feeding at night.

That's a piranha.

Actually very frustrating.

Every bait I'm throwing out
is getting attacked,

but unfortunately,
it's by piranhas.

Ah, piranha again.

But I don't think
it's the piranhas

that are keeping me
from catching a monster.

I simply haven't
gone deep enough.

What happened?

I was winding
as fast as I could,

trying to push the point home.

As I finally start
to get some bites,

the rainforest
lives up to its name.

This time of year
is meant to be the dry season.

I don't mind the discomfort

if there's a chance
of catching fish.

But the problem with high water

is that those fish
are just spread out

that all I can do, really,

is just hope that I do
connect with something.

Tropical rainstorms like this
can last days.

Luckily, this is more
of a passing shower.

As we cover more and more miles,

I still have nothing
to show for my efforts

but that one
alien-looking barbado.

So, out of desperation to catch
this mysterious lau-lau,

I start fishing with two rods.

I don't like doing this

because I like to feel my line
at all times.

But at least now there's an
increased chance of a pickup.

Hmm.

That's a large biara.

This is one monster
I wasn't expecting here,

but this is a good-sized biara,
or vampire fish.

Those fangs there
in the upper jaw,

they're so long that they
actually recess into holes

inside the upper jaw.

Biara use those teeth

to puncture the swim bladders
of their fishy prey.

But now I'm reminded of
a drawback to using two rods.

Hold on, hold on,
hold on, hold on.

Hold on.

Going back, going back.

Whatever it is,
it's ripping off line.

Could it be
the mysterious lau-lau?

Huh?

And that's a redtail catfish.

They call it
banana catfish here,

I think because
of the banana-like color.

These grow over 100 pounds.

And they've got
this monstrous, huge head

that's almost about a third
the size of the body.

Nice to catch this and to see
that there are fish on the move,

but the fish that I'm after

is actually two, possibly
three times the length of this

and maybe even 10 times
the weight.

But this is still a good fish.

And it appears
my theory is right.

The further I travel

from the mouth of the river
and civilization,

the more monsters
there are to find.

Good sign, good sign,

but I'm after something
much bigger than that.

But right now
I have more pressing concerns.

To get further up this river
and to the village of Yupukari,

Brian tells me we have to pass
through the Rappu Rapids,

a maze several miles long of
jagged rocks, stony shallows,

and tumbling rapids where,
if you take the wrong turn,

it can easily end in disaster.

Only a few of the locals
know the safe passage through.

So we stop
at an Amerindian village...

The first I have seen...
To enlist some help.

As Brian goes
in search of a guide,

it gives me a chance
to make friends.

Hello.
What is your name?

Surprisingly, even this deep
in a remote jungle,

I am understood.

Since this is
an ex-British colony,

many people in Guyana
speak English.

Not only that, nearly everyone
is a fisherman.

So, this is a... well,
a container full of nuts here.

You get a little sort of grub
that lives inside.

If we cut this one... swhee!
We find inside?

Ah. Oh, yeah!

Look at that.

What's his name?

- Kukrit.
- It's a kukrit one?

Ah, he's huge.

He's very big. Wow.

Go ahead, look at that.

I understand fish liking that.

After a long wait
in the hot sun,

our river pilot introduces
himself as Captain Stanley.

Hello. Good afternoon.

Jeremy.

Like Brian, he's a Wapishana
and one of only a few people

who know the safe route
through the rapids.

Before we set out,

I ask him about the monsters
that lurk out here.

He tells me about one
called the shipetu.

It is another new name to me.

But down at the river,
he shows me where it lives.

As I try to find out more,

the shipetu leaves
the real world

and becomes something
much more fantastic.

The people say
that it's dangerous.

Why?

So it can cause
bad, dangerous weather.

But does it attack people,
as well?

Does it actually
pull you under the water?

So, most people are
frightened of this place?

The shipetu is new to me,
but it reminds me

of monsters I have been
warned about before...

Mythical beasts created by the
imagination of the local people

to try to explain
unknown dangers

hidden beneath
the surface of the water.

But experience tells me

there is always a glimmer
of truth in these tales.

In Japan, the mysterious kappa
was a huge salamander.

In Lake Iliamna, Alaska,

the monster was inspired
by a giant sturgeon.

And the Maori legend
I investigated in New Zealand

turned out to be a huge eel.

Look at that! Look at that!
Look at that! Look at that!

I wonder what real creature

could have inspired
this fisherman-hooking monster,

the shipetu.

And people, do they say
it still lives here?

There's only one thing for me
to do... get out there.

Can I catch whatever it is

that might have inspired
the shipetu?

Does the mysterious
lau-lau catfish

have anything to do
with this killer?

I may be on the verge
of confronting a legend.

I'm on the quest of a lifetime

on South America's
Essequibo River.

I've traveled 200 miles
into the wilderness

to discover a lost world
full of monsters.

I've been told of a giant
catfish called the lau-lau

and a mysterious beast
called the shipetu

that hooks and drowns fishermen.

It's believed to live
in this pool

and in the rapids
a little further upstream.

Although I know it's a myth,
I can't help but be wary.

Let me clear this other line.

What my Amerindian guide,
Stanley, described

was supernatural.

What I have on my line
is completely real.

Ugh!

Brian recognizes it
straightaway.

This is the lau-lau.

But I know this fish
by a different name.

To me, this is a piraíba.

So, this is the real monster...

Skinfish, as they call
them here, the lau-lau.

I've investigated cases
in Brazil

where these freshwater giants

were suspected
of being man-eaters.

To find them living here
is a surprise.

This one here is about 30 or 40
pounds, something like that.

And these fish grow to 7, 8, 9,
maybe 10 feet long,

and very unusual for a catfish.

They're incredibly streamlined,
very strong,

and yeah, when they grow big,

I mean, just imagine this thing
9 or 10 feet long...

Absolutely monstrous fish.

The piraíba, or lau-lau
as it's called here,

is one of the biggest
freshwater fish

on planet Earth.

Although this catch can't
be described as a monster,

what it means is that
the river system I'm exploring

is indeed capable of supporting
true freshwater giants.

I wonder what else is waiting
for me down there.

We head deeper
into the rainforest,

towards the village of Yupukari.

But to reach it,

we still have to pass through
the Rappu Rapids.

With the riddle of the shipetu
still on my mind,

I keep a lookout
for anything mysterious

lurking on the rocks
of the monster's lair.

Finally, we make it out
onto relatively calm water.

But if I thought we'd made it
through the lair

of the mythical shipetu
unscathed, I was wrong.

I have to turn back.

There's been an accident

with my film crew
following behind us.

It's the boat
that carries our camera gear.

Everyone's okay, but one boat...
There was a collision.

One boat was flipped over.

It was the main camera.

The main camera
is under the water somewhere.

We're lucky no one was hurt.

It could've been a horrifying
end to this journey.

Brian manages to get
the boat engine going again.

Luckily, we're just a few miles

from the only village
in this entire area.

So we limp on to Apoteri

to regroup
and consider our options.

Still trying to absorb
the events of today,

which could have left us,
potentially...

with two crew members...
gone, dead...

Really as serious as that.

It occurs to me that perhaps
I brought this upon us

by fishing in the mythical
shipetu's territory,

challenging it.

But my rational mind kicks in.

It had to be
just a freak accident.

In the hot light of day,

it's clear we've all come
too far to turn back now.

Although the shipetu's lair
is now behind me,

any doubts I have that there
are real monsters living here

are blown away
when I meet Augustine.

So, can I sit here?

Yeah? Yeah.

If that wood
hadn't been there, then...

Yes. Yeah.

So, when you came out, did you
say... was your arm gone,

or was it just badly broken
and bleeding?

Mm-hmm.

Only South America's
apex river predator

is capable of doing this damage,

but I didn't think
they were here.

Was this a caiman that did this?

Black caiman.

Gosh.

Yes.

Augustine's accident
was many years ago,

but he says big, black caimans
still haunt this river,

although I've yet to see any.

These caiman could well be
the monsters of Yupukari

that Brian told me about at the
very start of this adventure.

What I want to know

is whether these giant
prehistoric reptiles

are still here in the Essequibo.

This place really is
full of surprises.

The unbroken forest
that has accompanied me

for hundreds of miles
on both banks

is now replaced on one side
by a huge natural savannah.

It's on the dividing line

between the two that
the village of Yupukari sits.

Brian and I say our goodbyes,

and he points me
in the direction

of the aptly named Caiman House.

Here I meet
with caiman expert Fernando,

who remembers the time
when they reigned supreme.

And are people
afraid of them here?

Hunted to near extinction,

the black caiman here
are now protected.

Fernando leads a group
of researchers studying them

and has a newfound respect
for the returning monsters.

Fernando invites me to join
a nighttime caiman search.

I don't really want to know
how dangerous this could be.

I've traveled hundreds of miles
on this river

and haven't seen any caiman.

But I get the feeling that on
this stretch we're not alone.

If we find a caiman,
Fernando will try to lasso it

and bring it to shore
for inspection.

Night is the best time
for hunting caiman.

Their eyes reflect
the flashlight beam,

shining red in the darkness.

It's also the best time

for the human imagination
to run wild.

Those who don't understand

why there are so many
mythical river monsters

need only to experience
complete darkness

in a boat deep in a rainforest.

Tonight I know
our target is real.

But having seen
what it is capable of,

reality is cold comfort.

Ah, so close.

The answer right after this.

I have arrived at Yupukari,

a village over 300 river miles

into the lost world
of the Essequibo.

I've been told this place
harbors monsters.

En route, I've been trying
to find and catch

as many monsters as I can
to prove that this really is

one of the wildest rivers
on earth.

I've joined a team hunting
for the largest predator

in these waters...
The black caiman.

Like many predators,
caiman are explosive hunters,

but they eventually
run out of steam,

which allows us to secure it
and haul it to shore.

I keep Augustine's story
in my mind.

I have seen what these
creatures are capable of.

Fernando and his team
have been studying

the caiman population here
for the last five years.

Black caiman were hunted
to near extinction,

but protection has seen
their numbers rise.

The monsters are returning.

- Just over 11 feet.
- Yeah.

Oh, god.

The black caiman in this
relatively forgotten river

are some of the biggest
on earth.

275 pounds
pretty well on the dot.

But the most dangerous part
of this whole capture

is yet to come.

Fernando tells me that,
after being set free,

it's not unusual
for the angry reptile

to chase its captors
up the beach.

Man:
Want me to step back?

Is this good here?

No, further back.

- Here?
- Yeah, that'll do.

Oh!

For me, seeing this creature
in the flesh

just underlines the idea
that nature can inspire myths.

A glimpse of this dragon like
caiman at night

could easily be transformed
into a fantastic monster.

A new experience for me,

but quite a monstrous animal
to see that thing close up.

A real beast.

So far, this adventure

has lived up to all
my expectations.

I've already discovered in
this little-known river system

some of the largest species
of river monster on the planet.

Ugh!

But I've barely scratched
the surface.

To really unlock the door
to this lost world...

Fernando sends me to a village
called Rewa.

It's the last human habitation
on the river.

Beyond, if my theory is correct,

lies the greatest
undisturbed lair of giants

I have ever explored.

And I'm not going to be
disappointed.

Aah!

I'm here to fulfill
the ambition of a lifetime,

and so far,
I haven't been disappointed.

The final leg of my adventure
starts in the village of Rewa.

It's the last human outpost
on the river.

Beyond are hundreds
of square miles

of barely explored rainforest.

Out there, I believe
that the monsters

could not only be larger
than anywhere else,

but also, they may not be
found anywhere else.

In a place this remote,

creatures could evolve
undisturbed for millennia.

And here, after 3 weeks
and over 500 river miles,

I stand the best chance
I've ever had

of finding a monster
I've never seen before.

Good morning. Hey.
I'm Jeremy.

Nice to meet you.
Thank you.

Hello.

Nice to meet you.
Hello.

A tiny speck of humanity
in an endless sea of green,

sitting at the mouth of one
of the many tributaries

of the Essequibo.

Beyond, there are no villages,
settlements, or towns...

Nothing but mile upon mile of
pristine tropical rainforest.

Thank you.

And for the Macushi
of Rewa village,

the river is their
only connection with
the outside world.

It's just about as far
from the modern world

as you could wish to be.

I want to enlist some guides to
take me into the forest beyond,

but village etiquette demands
that if I'm to stay here,

I must first ask permission
from the village chief,

the toshau.

Good morning.

Good morning, Toshau Patrick.

Hello. I'm Jeremy.

Thank you.
Nice to meet you.

That sort of strikes me
as unusual...

Is, you know,
you have your place here,

other people move in,

but everything's all, you know,

everything becomes
integrated, does it?

- Were there any
problems at any point?
- No.

No? No?

The Macushi have taken on
aspects of the modern world,

but they still maintain
strong traditional values,

living much the same way
that they have always done,

tending crops grown
in forest clearings,

as well as hunting and fishing.

So they have
an intimate knowledge

of the surrounding
rivers, lakes, and forests,

a knowledge I am hoping
they will share with me.

I recognize
that same easy hospitality

that I've experienced
in all remote communities.

Rovin has kindly let me put
my hammock up on his porch.

I decide the best thing to do
is spend time with them,

to work out the right way
to ask for a guide

to help me go further
into the interior.

Sounds like it might
be time to get up.

The following morning,
I get my first chance.

We've just gone to a pond a
short distance from the village

just to catch
something small for supper.

No rods...
Left the rods back home.

Just brought hand lines.
Ooh, ooh, ooh!

That's impressive.

Lukanani.

That's fantastic.

First cast over a branch.

My next cast,
I was treading on the line.

Takes a little bit
of mastering, this.

I like the simplicity
of hand-lining.

Particularly, traveling
with rods, you know,

still be unpacking them,
delving under the tarpaulin,

putting them together.

The fact that you can
just put it in your pocket

and off you go.

If you work too much
to get your food, why bother?

Over the next few days, I spend
time with Rovin, out fishing.

It feels like
we're on the same wavelength,

kindred spirits who love
nothing more

than being out in the wild,
fishing.

But despite all our angling,

there's been no sign
of any monsters.

Then one day,
with his brother Dennis in tow,

we head to a deep, rocky pool
in the river,

very different from the ponds
we've been fishing in so far.

There's a turbulent eddy that
looks a likely fishing spot.

This sort of fishing
is my first real chance

of showing the boys
what I can do.

The minute my bait hits
the bottom, I make contact...

Contact with something big.

Yeah.

This feels big.

I'm fishing with two brothers,
Rovin and Dennis,

Macushi Indians who live

deep in South America's
Guyanese rainforest.

We've come to a deep pool
in the river.

This feels big.

I want to prove to the boys

that I know
how to handle monsters,

but I have no idea what this is.

Wade: on the surface...
I didn't see the fish.

What I do know is that
whatever I've hooked

is too big to fight
from the canoe.

It's here.

Dennis, you all right
to grab the fins?

Aah!

This is what they call a jau,
very, very solid-bodied,

and they love fast,
rocky water like this.

This was, more or less,
straight under the boat.

This has also got a reputation

for being quite
an aggressive catfish...

Grabbing ahold of people's legs
and things like that.

Just gonna have one last feel
of the weight of this fish.

My goodness.

It could weigh 90 pounds.

Phew.

Big lump of a fish.

It's further proof

that monsters are hiding
everywhere in this river.

Br-r-r.

Back at the village,
I'm granted the honor

of an audience
with one of the elders.

As he speaks only Macushi,
the brothers translate.

The first thing he tells me
is that strangers in the past

have exploited
the Macushi's fishing secrets.

Oh, okay. Right.

People would just come...

They wouldn't talk to anybody
in the village.

They'd just go up the river,
go to a pond,

take some fish,
and take them away.

- Oh, really?
- Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

My first question is about
what kinds of monsters...

Or oma,
as they call them here...

Live beyond the village.

I want him to understand that
my intentions are honorable

before asking about fish.

Right.

And just... the oma, you said,

it had this back like a saw,
but it would actually cut boats?

The people would disappear?

This saw-backed beast
instantly brings to mind

the serrated tail
of the black caiman.

Having seen what they can do
to a metal boat,

I wonder if a caiman
might be the canoe-sinking oma.

The next monster
he tells me about

has very definite
reptile-like characteristics.

Yes.

He could be referring
to a giant anaconda,

which is native
to South America.

There have been reports of them
growing to over 30 feet long.

But I've never seen anything
even close to that length.

Then, before I turn in
for the night,

they tell me about a huge fish
hidden in a secret lake.

With all the tales of mythic
monsters ringing in my ears,

it's this fish
and its hidden home

that teases my imagination
the most.

The next day, Dennis and Rovin

agree to take me
to this secret place.

I could never find it on my own.

Heading off now
for some time on the water,

and from the look of it,

I think we're gonna be away
for a few days,

so this is where the fishing,
at least,

and the traveling
gets a bit more serious.

Rovin tells me
that where we're going,

there will be no people,
no villages, no communications,

just miles and miles
of river and jungle.

We will sleep beside the river,
eat from the river,

and travel as best we can

into this remote
and uninhabited place.

This is where
Rovin and Dennis grew up.

To keep up with them, I'll
have to work twice as hard.

Up to now, I've been spoiled,
using boats with engines.

But from here on, I'm traveling
under my own steam.

I have a feeling this adventure

is going to push me
to my limits.

We hit our first obstacle,
a set of rapids.

That water's moving.

It's flowing towards you,

and also, there's
slippery rocks down there.

If Rovin on the rope
lost his footing,

you know, everything
could tip out.

So, mental concentration

at a time when
you're physically exhausted,

but anyway, we've made it.

We need to set up camp
in daylight

so we can see what we're doing.

We've also got to catch
something to eat.

I've told the guys
that supper is on me tonight.

Slightly challenging
fishing conditions...

Very fast water,
but what I'm trying to do,

with those backhand casts
under the branches,

is just land it in...
There's a nice, little slack

just on the edge of where
that white water comes in.

It's a good-size fish, this.

Well, hey, look at that.
Look at that.

That... that is just
a lovely looking fish.

What's also great
about this fish

is just catching it
in water like this...

I mean,
really, really fast water.

And it's a pacu... a pink pacu.

I'd normally put my fish back.

This one, because there's
lots of them around here

and because we're having
to live off the land,

we're gonna keep that.

We're gonna grill that tonight.

The paddling has taken
its toll on all of us.

We're just happy
to eat and sleep.

As we trek deeper
into this lost world,

the idea that the monster
of the secret lake

could be something new to me,

perhaps even new to science,
pushes me on.

In a place as remote
and unique as this,

anything seems possible.

We get going
early in the morning.

To make the best progress,

we stay close to the bank to
keep out of the main current.

As the river narrows, more
of its character is revealed.

Dennis tells me
this shortcut is new.

The river has washed away
a huge chunk of land.

So not only do the annual
floods swallow the forest,

they can also change
the river's course

from one year to the next.

I can see how an outsider
could get hopelessly lost here,

maybe never finding
their way out.

This is actually as far
as we can come by water,

but there is a way past here,
but it's gonna be hard.

All right, this is
actually the easy bit...

Taking the bags
up above the rapid,

but after that's done, we're
gonna need to drag the boat,

and these wooden dugouts
weigh an absolute ton.

And to do that,

we're gonna have to need to
put it on wooden rollers.

Rollers that we have to
cut ourselves.

This simple and ancient method,

known as portaging,
has been used

for as long as there have
been heavy, wooden canoes.

It's backbreaking work,
but to get to the secret lake,

I must get over these obstacles.

With the wooden rollers
in place,

it's time to shift the canoe.

1, 2, 3!

This single, solid piece of
wood weighs hundreds of pounds.

If any of us loses control,
it could easily break bones.

A broken leg now
would mean game over.

Aah!

I'm fulfilling
the ambition of a lifetime...

Exploring a lost world

with the two help of two
brothers from the Macushi tribe

in Guyana in South America.

We are heading
to a secluded lake

that they say hides
a monster fish.

But getting to it is proving
harder than I ever expected.

Aah!

I've fallen between two rollers,

which keep the boat
from landing on me.

Luckily, I avoided
a crushed pelvis.

I'm not here to slow us down,

so I grit my teeth
and get on with it.

2...

This looks slippery here.

Ahh.

Feels good
to have that over with.

Actually, there's quite
a good fishing spot here.

We're gonna camp
the other side of the river,

but actually, that was
just the warm-up act.

Tomorrow we've got to
get over that.

But before we even consider
how we'll get over the falls,

we set camp and concentrate
on catching our evening meal.

When was the first time
you came up here?

Yeah?

So, making a camp
beside the river

and catching fish
and smoking fish,

it's something you've just
been doing for a long time,

so you're really used to it.

Yeah.

But when you were little
and you left the village

and you come out into the forest
and you're camping,

was that a big adventure, or was
it quite frightening, as well?

How old were you when
you saw your first jaguar?

13 or 14?

The presence of apex predators,
such as jaguars,

is further evidence
of how unspoiled this
wilderness must be.

But the campfire conversation
in this forested night

has got my imagination
working overtime.

It's very easy for your eyes to
play tricks on you in the dark.

I'm just looking out
at my mosquito net.

And there's something
that looks like...

Almost like a jaguar's head.

But it's actually...
Looking closer,

it's just some leaves
on the branch of a tree.

But even in daylight,
this enchanting place,

so far from other people,
is having an effect on me.

This adventure
is physically demanding,

but this way of life

is starting to have
an almost magical hold.

And rather than fight it,
I embrace it.

And the more I do,
the more it seems

the forest and the river are
willing to share their secrets.

So, literally just stumbled
across this drawing

on the rock... a petroglyph.

Very worn, but still possible
to see what this one is.

It's a monkey.

And apparently, when the rains
come, all this is underwater,

so this has had
a lot of erosion.

Wearing away.

So, nobody actually knows
who did these.

And the people
traveling here now

just say they're very, very old,
and I think, potentially,

they're even thousands
of years old.

Potentially, there are
some which were even older,

which have now
completely worn away.

Maybe it was just a stopping
point on the journey upriver,

as it is today,
and people just hanging around.

There's good fishing
in the pool.

Also you're regaining a bit of
energy to go over the rapids,

and just while away an hour
or two drawing a monkey.

This discovery
almost makes me feel

like I'm traveling back in time

to an era even before
the first European explorers,

when monsters
roamed our world...

monsters like the one
hiding at my feet.

It's actually the biggest
spider in the world...

More like a crab, in a way,
in terms of size, than a spider.

They've got very long fangs.
They're about half an inch long.

The venom of these tarantulas
is not deadly to humans,

but out here, a bite could
quickly become infected.

As both Dennis and Rovin
are barefoot,

I reckon it's better to get
this thing out of the way.

I just gently prodded it.
Whoa!

What they do is, they got hairs
on their abdomen,

and they'll scratch those off.

They go into the air.
They're very irritating.

You get too close, they're going
to stop you getting any closer.

It is actually about
the size of my hand,

which is quite a thought.

Talking about a spider here
the size of my hand.

For me, "monstrous"
is a relative term.

Spiders don't come
any larger than this.

It seems everything grows bigger

in this mysterious place.

And with it
safely out of the way,

I can get on
with the next task...

Getting the canoe
through the forest.

1, 2, 3!

The water here is too powerful,

so we have to take the canoe
on another detour

to get above the falls.

1, 2, 3!

In this tropical heat,
it's grueling work.

And through it all,
regardless of how tiring,

how physical it is, the three
of us are in it together.

The thought of a monster
waiting in a hidden lake

keeps me going.

Over the following days,
the river continues to narrow.

With each passing river mile,

I feel more and more
a part of this place.

There's no doubt about it...
At the end of the day,

when you take off the damp,
dirty daytime clothes,

get in the river,
cool down, clean off,

it just feels so good.

It really makes you appreciate
the small pleasures,

traveling like this.

I have stopped asking
about our destination.

I just trust the brothers
to get us there.

Bit of role reversal
going on here...

eating a bit of piranha.

Rovin tells me it's not far now.

It's the boost my tired muscles
needed to hear.

The anticipation is building,

but I'm distracted by something
at the water's edge...

Something massive.

I'm careful
not to get too close.

I've seen anacondas before,

but I've never seen one
this big, this close,

which really is an indication,
I think,

of just how special
this place is.

I recall what the village elder
told me before we set out

about snakes so big

they can destroy boats
and swallow people.

This one could possibly
touch 20 feet.

It's certainly 17 or 18 feet.

But more impressive than that,
perhaps, is the girth.

I mean, this is an incredibly
thick-bodied snake,

probably, at its widest point,
about the same as my waist,

and that is, you know,

over a length
of the best part of 20 feet.

That's gonna add up
to 250 pounds.

This is the heaviest species
of snake in the world,

and here it is,
just a few feet away from me,

and that's quite
an unnerving feeling.

Anacondas can live
for over 30 years.

The largest reliable record
for an anaconda

was a colossal 25 feet long,

although some people have
claimed to have seen
50-footers.

But out here,
in this remote wilderness,

the impossible
seems even probable.

This snake is so unused
to people

that it simply
isn't scared of me.

It's possible
many animals out here

have never seen a human being.

And if that's the case,
then could the reverse be true?

Is there a creature out here
that people don't know about?

The answer may lie hidden
in this deep jungle,

submerged in a secret lake.

As we close in
on our final destination,

rounding another bend
in the river, my heart sinks...

Yet another obstacle.

I don't think we're going to
tackle those falls today.

I think the thing to do
is make a camp here...

and then see how far
we can get tomorrow.

The hidden lake
will have to wait.

As usual, there's no time
to dwell on things.

We have to set up camp

and catch an evening meal

before darkness falls.

We just anchored up
just down from the falls,

just off the main push
that comes... out of the fall.

As I fish for supper,
my mind is preoccupied

with the monster
that waits in a hidden lake.

But we'll need
a hearty meal tonight

to give us enough energy
to get over the falls tomorrow,

so I need to focus on my task.

Once again, the piranhas

are coming between me
and our supper.

Look at that...
Mess that made of that.

That's piranha, I think.

To prevent them
from biting through the line,

I'm using a wire trace,

but even that is not immune
to their razor-sharp teeth.

Something's on here.
Just waiting for it to take.

Yes. Yes.
Come on. Come on.

Come on, come on.

No. Shoot.

State of...

That was a new leader
two casts ago.

Something has not only
eaten the bait,

but it's sort of tried to eat
the wire, as well.

It's some fairly
crazy water, this.

It never ceases to amaze me

just the kind of water that
you sometimes find fish in.

But generally,
when the water's like this...

Fast and powerful... then
you've got big, powerful fish.

Aah! Shoot.

Sheesh.

We're just going through bait...
just going through bait.

Our only option is to wait
until nightfall,

when piranhas scatter.

This is when bigger and badder
fish come out to play.

Yeah, there's a fish on.
Fish on.

Good fish in some ridiculous
water and in the dark.

Doesn't get much
more crazy than this.

Ohh.

It's actually under the boat.

Ooh!

It's a good-sized wolffish.

So, here we are.

We're moored right below the
falls here in ridiculous water.

We're just on the edge
of the real push,

and in a bit of a slack
down there,

and you've got to be
a fairly serious fish

to cope with this water,
but look at this...

This is what they call
"himara" here.

Very toothy... just one more
of the monsters

living under the water here.

But there's little celebration.

This is not trophy hunting,
but sustenance fishing.

All it means is that tonight
we won't go to bed hungry.

In the morning,
I'm energized by the thought

that I will soon finally reach
the hidden lake

I've come so far to see.

It seems this portage
is going on forever,

but I believe at the end I will
fulfill a lifetime ambition,

an ambition that has taken me
25 years, 5 weeks,

and hundreds of river miles
to achieve...

Fish on. Fish on.

To come face to face with
a monster from a lost world.

I made it.

After five weeks and hundreds
of miles of traveling

along South America's
Essequibo River,

I have finally penetrated
the heart

of this lost world of monsters.

With the help
of my Macushi Indian guides,

Rovin and Dennis,

I have been brought
to a place of dreams,

a secret lost lake hidden deep
within an unbroken jungle

and said to hold
a freshwater monster.

There's only one thing
left for me to do...

Tackle up
and get a line in the water.

This water, this location,

all speaks to me of a fish I
have spent a lifetime hunting.

Rovin and Dennis have described
the shape and habits

of the monster fish
that lives here.

I almost dare
not breathe its name.

It sounds like a creature
I have done battle with before,

perhaps the mightiest
freshwater fish of them all.

But in this perfect isolation,

could what I hope to confront
actually be something new?

But this lake hides more
than just a monstrous fish.

We are definitely not alone.

A shape I recognize
comes to investigate.

It's a black caiman.

I've already seen what these
creatures are capable of,

and it's unnerving
having it so close.

This caiman keeps swimming
up and down

right in front
of where I'm trying to fish.

And one thing
I don't want to happen

is for it get tangled
in the line.

That wouldn't be too clever.

So I'm just trying
to sink the line.

I'll try to continue fishing
while this is...

Gonna grab some oars.

He's getting
uncomfortably close,

and it's actually pointing
in my direction.

This is interesting.

Normally it's the human being
creeping up on the wildlife

to have a look at the wildlife.

Roles are a bit reversed here.

This caiman seems
far too interested in me.

Pfft!

But then I suppose we are
the invaders in its domain.

And like that anaconda,

it seems that this beast has
no fear of people whatsoever.

But I'm here
for another monster.

I keep scanning
the surface of the water.

If it is what I think it is,

then it will give itself
away in time.

Then I see it...
A signature on the surface,

a signature that I would
recognize anywhere.

It's the only chink
in its prehistoric armor...

Its need to breathe air.

I'm sure that these are
the signs

of what is possibly the largest
freshwater fish in the world

and one of my greatest
adversaries...

a fish that I believe has
killed fishermen in the Amazon,

knocking them out of their
canoes in remote lakes...

lakes like this one.

A fish that once smashed
into my chest

and left me in pain for weeks.

I've entered the lair

of one of the greatest
freshwater giants

of them all...

The arapaima, growing
to 10 feet in length

with a weight
of over 400 pounds.

But out here,
in this perfect isolation,

could they grow even bigger
than any I have ever seen?

The stakes are suddenly higher
than I could've ever imagined.

Fish on. Fish on.

In the greatest monster quest
of my career,

I've traveled hundreds of miles

through one of the world's
last true wildernesses

to discover a secret lake,
home to a river monster.

Its behavior under the surface

tells me it's likely to be one
of my greatest adversaries...

Fish on. Fish on.

The arapaima.

It's not coming quietly.

Dennis keeps an eye out
for other dangers.

An unstable canoe and a curious
caiman could prove interesting.

Out here
in this extreme isolation,

I can't help but wonder if
this beast is perhaps different

from the Brazilian arapaima
with which I'm familiar.

But right now all that links me

to what could be
the greatest catch of my life

is a slender fishing line.

It's coming up.

It's too big to try
and haul it into the boat,

so we're going to work it
towards the water's edge.

But if it tangles in any of
these trees, the game is over.

And there's the added excitement

of the resident caiman,

which has still
got its eye on me.

But this is it...
This is why I'm here,

if I can just get it in.

Gonna give you the rod, Rovin.

As soon as I grab this,
I'm gonna give you the rod.

Okay.

I've caught the monster
of the lost lake.

I knew it.

Monsters do exist
in this place...

A wonderful, deep-bodied
arapaima.

It's the crowning glory
of the greatest

and most extraordinary
monster hunt of my career.

Never have I encountered
so many monsters

in just one river system.

But this catch could hold
an even greater surprise.

The arapaima of the Essequibo

are so remote and isolated
from the Amazonian population

that I can't help but think
that these fish

could potentially be
a new species.

So I take a scale.

It won't harm the fish,
but it will contain the DNA

that could prove
it's new to science.

Then I release my prize
back to where it came from.

Ooh, good, lovely, lovely.
And it's going.

Yeah.

It's amazing to think that so
many monsters exist out here,

but their presence
is so important.

In many people's books,

a monster is something
that makes you frightened,

but what makes me
really frightened

is the idea of a world where
the monsters have all gone.

Because when that has happened,

it's a sign that the world's
wild frontiers are no more.

But with their guardians,
the Macushi, there is hope

for the survival
of the monsters
of the Essequibo.

And this journey that started
with two brothers...

For me,
it now feels more like three...

The brotherhood of fishermen.

For them to reveal
their secrets to me

has been a great honor.

This place will live long
in my memory.

And it occurs to me
that in my desire

to find the hidden monsters
of this lost world,

one was with me every step
of my way... the river itself.

And it has one last
awesome surprise.

It's one of the greatest
natural wonders of the world.

And after all my exertions
and hardships

over the past 40 days...

1, 2... it's the big one... 3!

Aah!

With friends made
and monsters discovered...

Jeremy.

I'm hoping this will be
a fitting end

to the greatest adventure
of my life.

And this is it...
Kaieteur Falls.

It's a single drop
741 feet high.

That's five times
the height of Niagara.

Despite landing on Guyanese
shores just before 1500,

it took Europeans more than
350 years to find these falls.

How could all those explorers

have missed one of the largest
waterfalls in the world?

The answer is simple...

Because it's part
of a unique river system

that still hides some of
the world's last monsters.

For behind-the-scenes stories,
fishing games, and more,

go to...